Acetylene-gas generator.



No 659,273. Patented 0st, 9, i900. B. F. WILLIAMS. AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Apr. 26, 1898.)

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No! 659,273. Patented Def. 9, I900. B. F. WILLIAMS.

ABETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Apr. 26, 1898.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BENJAMIN F. 'WILLIAMS, OF QUANAH, TEXAS.

ACIYETEYLEN E-eAs c EN ERATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,273, dated October 9, 1900. Application filed April 26, 1898. Serial No. 678,885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Quanah, in the county of Hardeman and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Acetylene-Gas Generator, of which the following is'a s'spe'cification.v

My invention relates to the manufacture of acetylene gas, one object of the invention being to provide an apparatus by means of which the generation of the gas is automatically proportioned to the consumption, so that the objectionable feature of storing the gas under pressure is removed and the device rendered especially suitable for use indwelling-houses and like places.

A further object of my invention is to supply an apparatus of the class described with means for preventing the accumulation of gas in the generator at too high a degree of pressure.

With these objects in view my invention consists in an automatically-regulated generating apparatusfor acetylene gas, comprising a suitable generator within which is pivotally mounted a cylindrical cage to contain the carbid, a gasometer to receive the gas from the generator, a water-tank communicating with the generator above the carbid and provided with means for properly distributing the water over the carbid, means for automatically and periodically rotating the carbid-cage, and means connected with the generator for relieving the pressure of the gas therein when'fa given degree of pressure is reached.

My invention further consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which myinvention most nearly appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a View in elevation, illustrating a complete plant or apparatus for generating acetylene gas constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, the lever for rotating the carbid-cage being omitted. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the vertical broken line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4. is a detail sectional View of the sight-feed in the water-supply pipe, the top of the generator, and the water-distributing cone. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 looking downward. Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the device for relieving extra pressure in the generator.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in the various figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 10 indicates one end, and 11 the other end, of the generator, which consists of an ellipticalshaped body mounted with its longer axis vertical upon suitable legs 12, the main body 13 of the generator consisting of sheet metal properly riveted or otherwise secured to the heads or ends.

Upon the top of the generator and surrounding the opening therein is riveted a malleable-iron frame or plate 14, to which are pivoted bolts 15, which, engaging in notches 16 of the lid 17, are provided with thumb-nuts 18 to bear upon the upper face of the lid and firmly clamp it gas-tight in position.

The generator is supplied with suitable manholes 19, by means of which it may be cleaned out when necessary, and a circular opening 20, through which thawire cylinder or cage 21 is entered, said opening being closed by a cap 22, provided with a socketbearing 23 to receive a shaft 24, which has its opposite end bearing in the head 10 of the generator and carries one or more wheels 25, which support the wire cage. The cage is provided with an opening to receive the carbid, closed by a hinged door 26.

27 is a vertical pipe which passes through an opening in the lid 17 and carries at its lower end within the generatora cone 28 for properly spreading or distributing the water passed into the generator through said pipe. The

continuation vertically of the pipe 27 outside of the generator is of glass to provide a sightfeed 29 to indicate when water is passing into the generator, the amount of water permitted to pass into the generator being regulated by A short horizontal pipe 31 is a valve 30.

joined by a union-coupling 32 with the horizontal arm 33 of the pipe 34, leading from the water-tank 35 near the bottom thereof.

36 indicates the water-tank, and 37 the gaschamber, of a gasometer of ordinary construction, which communicates with the generator through the medium of a pipe 38, leading from the gas-chamber above the level of the water in the water-tank downward through the bottom of the gasometer and horizontally at 39 to the generator, being supplied with a valve 40 to cut off its communication with the generator when desired. The horizontal pipe 39 is joined to the vertical pipe 38 by means of a T-fitting 41, from which extends a horizontal pipe 42, through which the supply of gas from the gas-tank of the gasometer is distributed to the burners, a valve 43 being provided by means of which the connection between the burners and the tank may be out 01f when desired.

A suitable bracket 44 connects the horizontal pipe 31 with the sight-feed 29 and the vertical water-supply pipe 27, which enters the generator, the junction of the pipe 27 and the glass feed-tube 29 being made in a vertical socket 45, formed on the lower end of the bracket 44.

One end of the shaft 24 projects through the stufling-box 46 outside of the head 10 of the generator and is provided with a rigidly-seen red ratchet-wheel 47 and has pivoted upon it a lever 48, provided with a springactuated pawl 48 to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel. A pawl 47, pivoted to the head of the generator, engages the teeth of the ratchet-wheel to prevent backward rotation.

To the outer end of the lever 48 is secured a cord 49, which passes over a pulley 50, journaled in a bracket 51, depending from the ceiling or other overhead support, and carries a weight 52 on its opposite end sufficiently heavy to raise the outer end of the lever 48 and cause its pawl 48 to engage an adjacent tooth of the ratchet-wheel 47.

53 indicates a water-tank provided with a faucet 54, so located as to discharge water into a bucket 55 suspended by a chain 56 from the outer end of the lever 48. The bottom 55 of the bucket 55 is hinged at one side to open inward.

57 indicates a water-receptacle located below the bucket 55 and provided near its top with cross-bars 58, from which projects vertically a pin 59, immediately below and in vertical alinement with the hinged bottom of the bucket 55.

In the water-tank 35 is placed a plunger 60, provided at its upper end with a chain 61, adapted to be attached to a horizontal bar 62, secured to and projecting laterally from the top of the gas-tank 37.

63 indicates a small tank or water-receptacle com municating,by means of a pipe 64,with the generator and provided with a vertical pipe 65, extending upward from its top and open at both ends. A branch pipe 66 leads from one side of the receptacle 63, and a somewhat similar branch pipe 67 leads from the bottom downward and laterally below the branch pipe 66. These two branch pipes 66 and 67 are connected bya glass gage-tube 68 and are provided at their lowermost portion with a valve or faucet 69.

The construction of myimproved generator and regulator for acetylene gas will be readily understood from the foregoing description, and its operation may be described as follows: The water-tank of the gasometer having been partially filled with water,as well as the watersupply tank 35, and the valves 43, 40, and 30 closed, the carbid-cage is charged by removing the union-coupling 32, loosening the clamp-nuts 18, and removing the lid 17, together with the sight-feed mechanism, leaving an opening in the top of the generator through which the carbid is deposited in the cage. These parts being replaced, sufiicicnt water is placed in the receptacle 63 and pipe 64 to form a column in the receptacle, when forced through by the pressure of the gas from the generator, of a height equal to the maximum pressure desired in the generator. The water-tank 53 is also filled with water. All the parts having been thus arranged, the valve 40 is opened and the valve 30 opened sufiicient, as will be indicated in the sightfeed tube 29, to permit the proper quantity of water to drop through the sight-feed tube 29 and the vertical pipe 27 upon the spreading-cone 28, from which it will drip upon the carbid contained in the skeleton cage, thereby generating the gas. This gas as generated passes from the generator through the pipes 39 and 38 into the gas-tank 37 of the gasometer, the plunger being regulated in the meantime to drop far enough into the water-tank 35 to displace sufficient water to cause the level of the water in the tank to be raised sufficiently high to feed it through the sight-feed into the generator, the accumulation of gas in the gastank causing it to rise and carries the plunger with it, and thus depresses the level of the water in the water-tank and cuts off the supply from the generator. Should the gas in the generator at any time attain a pressure equal to the water-pressure ofthe column in the water-receptacle 63 and pipe 64, the water therein will be forced through the pipe 64 into the receptacle 63, leaving the pipe 64 clear and exhausting a portion of the gas from the generator through the receptacle and out of the pipe 65, thus relieving the pressure and permitting the water again to flow into the pipe 64 and remake a water seal.

As is well known, in the manufacture of acetylene gas the carbid when treated with Water becomes covered with lime, or, as is known in the art, with ash or ashes, and in order to continue the supply of gas it is necessary to agitate or turn over the carbid.

For effecting this purpose I slightly open the faucet or cook 54 and permit the water from the water-tank 53 to drip through the faucet into the bucket 55 at a rate which will cause the bucket to be filled to a sufficient height to overcome the counterbalance-weight 52 in twenty minutes. As soon as this happens the bucket drops, carrying with it the lever 48 and partially rotating the carbid -cage. When the bucket 55 reaches the lower end of its stroke, its hinged bottom comes in contact with the vertical pin 59 in the waste Water receptacle 57. This tips the bottom 55 of the bucket 55 and discharges the water therefrom, which renders the bucket lighter than the Weight 52 and causes the bucket to he raised again to its upper position until again filled by the drip-water, this operation effecting an intermittent turning of the carbid-cage, so that different surfaces of the lumps of cal-bid are continuously exposed to the water until all the carbid-is exhausted.

From the foregoing it will be apparent to any one skilled in the art that I have constructed a simple, cheap, effective, and automatic plant for generating acetylene gas, wherein efficient means are provided to carry out the objects of the invention, the amount of gas generated being regulated by the amount consumed, it being impossible to continue the generation when sufficient gas for immediate use is stored in the gasometer, the. rise of the gas-tank of the gasometer automatically cutting off the supply of water, and consequently stopping the generation of the gas. The means for efiecting the intermittent rotation of the carbid-cage are simple, effective, and reliable and require very little attention, While the pressure-relief is entirely automatic and sure in its operation. The provision of the sight-feed in the water-supply permits the user of the plant to ascertain at sight whether the water is feeding properly, which is a great advantage in the use of the plant.

While I have illustrated and described the best means now known to me for carrying out my invention, I do not Wish to be understood as restricting myself to the exact de-' tails of construction shown, but hold that any slight changes or variations such as might suggest themselves to the ordinary mechanic would properly fall within the limit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an acetylene-gas machine, the combination with a generator, of a revoluble carbid-cage therein, means for rotating said cage, a vertical water-pipe passing through the top of the generator, and carrying at its inner end a distributing device, a vertical glass feedtube in alinement with and adjoining the said feed-pipe a horizontal water-pipe and a bracket provided with a head or socket at its lower end to protect the joint of the vertical pipe and sight-tube, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the removable lid of the generator, of a vertical water-pipe passing therethrough and carrying at its inner end a distributing device, a vertical glass feed-tube in alinement with and adjoining the said feed-pipe, a horizontal water-pipe, a valve connecting it with the vertical sightfeed tube, and a bracket depending from the horizontal pipe and provided with a head or socket at its lower end to protect the joint of the vertical pipe and the sight-tube, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a generator, of a removable cover therefor, a water-feed tube extending through said cover, a vertical glass sight-tube in alinement with and adjoining said feed-tube a horizontal tube connected to the top of said sight-tube and carrying a downwardly projecting bracket, having a head or socket for the reception of the upper end of the feed-tube and the lower end of the sight-tube, substantially as described.

4. In an acetylene-gas machine, the combination, with a generator, of a revoluble carbid-cage therein, a water-supply pipe and a gas-outlet pipe communicating with the generator, and automatic means for intermittently rotating the cage at predetermined intervals independently of the formation of gas Within the generator, substantially as described.

5. In an acetylene-gas machine, the combination, with a generator provided with a water-s11 pply pipe and a gas-outlet, of a carbid-cage re volubly mounted in the generator, one end of which is provided with a ratchetwheel, a lever provided with a pawl in position to engage with the ratchet-wheel and automatic means for intermittently operating the lever at predetermined intervals independently of the formation of the gas within the cylinder, substantially as described.

6. In an acetylene-gas machine, the combination, with a generator, each end of which is provided with an opening, of a stuffing-box in one of the openings, and a cap in the other provided with a bearing upon its inner surface, a rotary carbid-cage in the generator, one end of the shaft of which is journaled in said bearin gs and the other end projects through the stuffing-box and is provided with a ratchet wheel, a lever pivotally secured upon the shaft adjacent to the ratchet-wheel and provided with a pawl in position to engage with the wheel, automatic means for intermittently operating the lever at predetermined intervals independently of the formation of gas within the generator, and a watersupply pipe and a gas-outlet communicating with the generator,substantially as described.

BEN J AMIN F. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

-P. J. ONEIL,

R. A. O. MONTGOMERY. 

